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Here are the best books that TechCrunch read this year

While the TechCrunch crew enjoys a tweet and a post from time to time, we also enjoy reading longer-form materials. So much so that we are compiling a year-end revue of our favorite reads.
This is not just a list of serious business books or just fiction that was published this year.
Instead, we have put together a list of just our favorite stuff that we read this year. Some of it won’t surprise; I hope that some of it does — but given how literate the average TechCrunch reader is, perhaps I will be contentedly disappointed.
The following list is in no particular order. And while we may earn a dollar or two off of commissions if you buy one of the books below, we’re not doing this for the money. We just love books, and reading, and want to share some of our joy with you. (TechCrunch also has lists of recommendations from founders and venture investors coming later this month!)
Hugs, happy holidays and may your 2023 reading crop be fruitful.
This article contains links to affiliate partners where available. When you buy through these links, TechCrunch may earn an affiliate commission.
The best books TechCrunch read in 2022
Each recommender’s books are grouped, links go to Amazon. Summaries are via the TechCruncher in question, at times lightly edited for clarity and format.
Rebecca Szkutak:
The Secret Life of Groceries: A super fun and interesting book about the history of grocery stores and what their supply chain looks like today. Yes, I’m a jumbo nerd.
Crying in H Mart: A lovely memoir that made me cry in the Goa airport.
Harri Weber:
Writing Down the Bones
You Are Here
From Harri: “Both my picks are rereads that gently address existential spirals with reassurance, through self love in the case of ‘You Are Here’, and through writing in the case of ‘Writing Down the Bones.’”
Ram Iyer:
Anno Dracula: It’s 1888 and Dracula has won the fight against Van Helsing & Co., married Queen Victoria and turned a lot of London into vampires. And Jack the Ripper is a human who’s cutting up young vampire girls. A grim and stark whodunit featuring a variety of characters from popular fiction, as well as real historical figures of the time.
Neesha Tambe:
Little Gods: Love seeing culture dynamics represented through fresh lenses. Educated immigrant experiences in the U.S. are often not written about. The chapters weave between timelines and characters, making picking up the book absolutely addictive.
Atomic Habits: Okay, okay. I know it’s old and basic, but I needed to establish better physical and mental habits coming out of the deep pandemic. Recognizing that making 1% changes regularly can lead to big dividends made making daily decisions in line with long-term goals easier.
Untamed: An absolute must read, especially for people who have felt the constraints of society. An autobiographical collection of stories, the author breaks down toxic standards and encourages readers to identify and pursue their own true vision for happiness.
The Prince: In an era where people believe that principles should be policy, this is a good reminder of the political *science* involved in governance and learning from past mistakes.
Dominic Madori Davis:
The Color of Law: An interesting look into how the federal government indirectly helped and upheld illegal housing discrimination in the U.S., and the impact that has had on the Black community in terms of wealth building, access to educational and city resources, and the stereotypes still associated with many Black neighborhoods today.
Token Black Girl: An honest memoir from a former Black fashion editor as she grappled with her childhood and eventual working life trying to assimilate into, and find acceptance in, rich, white environments. She talks about the psychological toll this took on her, the mental journey she is still on in unlearning self-hatred and how she is finally coming to terms with loving her natural Black self.
Natasha Lomas:
Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne: The metaphysical poet’s life engagingly deconstructed.
Amanda Silberling:
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow: I feel like this is one of those perfectly constructed novels that will be studied in weird (appreciative) liberal arts school fiction classes in 50 years (or, like, 50 days). It’s hard to pull off the kind of story that follows characters from the time they’re small children to fully formed adults, but it’s a joy (and, at times, agonizing) to watch these two friends grow from awkward artistic teens to niche-famous game developers who use their craft to navigate murky questions about how and why we make art and how it affects people. Even if you’re not a video game person, there’s a lot to love in this book, so long as you care about … uh … art and people.
True Biz: I am always annoyed when people think you can only learn about things by reading nonfiction — case in point, “True Biz” taught me so much about Deaf culture, disability and the ever-present threat of eugenicist science. I love when fiction can help me empathize with people different from me, yet this book is more than that. It’s just an amazing story in itself, alternating among the points-of-view of various characters from different perspectives in the Deaf community: angsty teens fighting for their right to Deaf education, a teacher navigating her rocky marriage, a hearing parent of a Deaf child who must come to terms with her prejudices. This was the kind of book that I was sad to finish, because I wanted to spend more time with the characters who I so quickly grew to root for and love.
Devin Coldewey:
Ministry for the Future: Near-future fiction extrapolated directly from the present can be very weak, but Robinson is both unflinching and imaginative of what a climate crisis would look like, how it might play out and what kind of bonkers moonshots might be necessary for us to continue to live on Earth.
Romain Dillet:
Abolish Silicon Valley: This book is an honest and engaging first-person story that showcases the hubris of Silicon Valley’s corporate culture. Wendy Liu depicts situations that are sometimes so absurd that she will make you laugh. She also takes a step back and looks at the political implications of startup culture and Silicon Valley.
Anna Heim:
A Very British Christmas
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
How to Be Good
Anna did not provide commentary on her picks, so I have decided that the way to Be Good is to spend Four Thousand Weeks each year having a Very British Christmas.
Alex Wilhelm:
The Golden Enclaves: Third book in a breakout fantasy series with one of the best protagonists I have ever had the pleasure of getting to know and cheering on. I am going to reread the whole series again, I think, this holiday period.
The Priory of the Orange Tree: You know how they say that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover? I bought this beast strictly by dent of its heft. More or less it was a hugely chunky paperback, and I thought, well, I like fantasy, and this book must be good to get published at this length, right? Turns out I was right! Huge, interesting, good and with characters I adored by the end. And dragons.
Here are the best books that TechCrunch read this year by Alex Wilhelm originally published on TechCrunch
Here are the best books that TechCrunch read this year

Chris Rock is set to be the first to perform live on Netflix

After Netflix’s historic launch of an ad-supported tier, a very unexpected move from the streamer, Netflix will make history again with its first-ever livestreaming event starring comedian Chris Rock. The company announced on Thursday that Rock’s live comedy special is set to stream in early 2023, with more details to be announced later.
“Chris Rock is one of the most iconic and important comedic voices of our generation,” Robbie Praw, Netflix vice president of Stand-up and Comedy Formats, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled the entire world will be able to experience a live Chris Rock comedy event and be a part of Netflix history. This will be an unforgettable moment, and we’re so honored that Chris is carrying this torch.”
Netflix confirmed in May that it would roll out a livestreaming capability. The company said it would focus on unscripted content, competition shows, reality reunion specials, live comedy shows and a future “Netflix is a Joke” festival.
Rock is an easy choice for the streamer as he will likely draw in thousands, if not millions, of viewers. This will be his seventh stand-up special overall and his second Netflix special after “Tamborine” premiered in 2018. He also made an appearance at the 2022 “Netflix is a Joke” festival.
Plus, many people will want to tune into Rock’s live comedy special to hear all the Will Smith-related gossip. Rock has yet to talk about the Oscars slap incident with Smith. During a show in London, the comedian told the audience, “People expect me to talk about the bull****, I’m not going to talk about it right now. I’ll get to it eventually, on Netflix,” Deadline reported.

Netflix subscribers may be getting a livestreaming option for unscripted shows and stand-up specials

However, livestreaming tech is complex and typically more unreliable than video-on-demand. A few months ago, many live TV apps crashed across the sports streaming space. If Netflix’s first test with Chris Rock goes well, it will potentially clear the way for dozens of Netflix titles to get the live treatment.
Netflix will also get to compete head-to-head with other live TV streaming services. Most recently, Disney+ had its first-ever live TV show when it debuted Season 31 of “Dancing with the Stars.” While Disney+ didn’t experience any major crashes, there were still reports of the app crashing as well as minor delays and lags.
Now that Netflix has ads and eventually livestreaming, it’s a no-brainer that Netflix should invest in live sports next. Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal reported that the streaming giant is “warming up to the idea” of live sports coming to the platform.

Netflix is not yet considering live sports — but here’s why it should

Chris Rock is set to be the first to perform live on Netflix by Lauren Forristal originally published on TechCrunch
Chris Rock is set to be the first to perform live on Netflix

Daily Crunch: Judge delays TikTok ban

Americans can continue using TikTok for now, Google updates its developer policies and Uber gets approval to resume operations in London. This is your Daily Crunch for September 28, 2020.
The big story: Judge delays TikTok ban
The saga continues! The Trump administration’s ban on TikTok was scheduled to take effect today — but over the weekend, a federal court ruled that Americans can continue using the app while a legal challenge over the ban’s legality moves forward.

A federal judge had already put a similar injunction in place to prevent a ban on WeChat from moving forward.
Meanwhile, Oracle, Walmart and TikTok’s owner ByteDance have also reached a deal that’s been approved by the U.S. government and would allow the app to continue operating here. However, it seems like the various companies and governments involved in the deal aren’t exactly on the same page.
The tech giants
Google to better enforce Play Store in-app purchase policies, ease use of third-party app stores — Under threat of regulation, Google announced that it’s updating its Google Play billing policies to better clarify which types of transactions will be subject to Google’s commissions on in-app purchases.
Uber wins latest London licence appeal, but renewal is only for 18 months — The ride-sharing giant has faced a multi-year battle to have its license reinstated after the city’s transport regulator decided not to issue a renewal in 2017.
Roku introduces a new Ultra player, a 2-in-1 ‘Streambar’ and a new OS with support for AirPlay 2 — The Streambar combines 4K HDR streaming and premium audio into one product.
Startups, funding and venture capital
SoftBank will bring Bear’s serving robots to Japan, amid restaurant labor shortages — The investor detailed plans to bring Bear’s Servi robot to Japan in an effort to address restaurant labor issues.
GV bets on young team behind high school social app HAGS — The team is building an old-school social play focused on Gen Z high school socialization.
N26 hires Adrienne Gormley as its new chief operating officer — Gormley has spent the last six years working for Dropbox in Dublin.
Advice and analysis from Extra Crunch
2 strategies for creating top-of-funnel marketing content — Even when you’re excellent at making the sale, you still need people to know you exist in the first place.
Deep Science: Robot perception, acoustic monitoring, using ML to detect arthritis — Devin Coldewey rounds up the latest research and discoveries.
(Reminder: Extra Crunch is our subscription membership program, which aims to democratize information about startups. You can sign up here.)
Everything else
Healthcare giant UHS hit by ransomware attack, sources say — The attack hit UHS systems early on Sunday morning, according to two people with direct knowledge of the incident.
Cannabis vape companies are experiencing a sales boom during the pandemic — From startups to major players, several leading manufacturers told TechCrunch that their companies are seeing a boom in sales since the start of the crisis.
The Daily Crunch is TechCrunch’s roundup of our biggest and most important stories. If you’d like to get this delivered to your inbox every day at around 3pm Pacific, you can subscribe here.

Daily Crunch: Judge delays TikTok ban

TransferWise partners with Alipay for international money transfers

TransferWise, the London-headquartered international money transfer service most recently valued by investors at $3.5 billion, has partnered with China’s Aliplay for international transfers.
The launch enables TransferWise’s now 7 million-plus users to be able to send Chinese yuan from 17 currencies to users of Alipay, which serves more than 1.2 billion people worldwide including via its local e-wallet partners.
Promising “instant” money transfers — under 20 seconds, apparently — TransferWise users simply need the recipient’s name and Alipay ID to initiate a money transfer. The money will then be sent to the bank account linked to the recipient’s Alipay profile.
It could be a potentially smart bit of business by TransferWise, which has sometimes struggled to secure the kind of partnerships that can accelerate its customer base and increase transaction volume. According to a 2019 report, the fintech is citing, China is projected to be one of the top remittance recipient countries in the world, with £54bn expected to be sent back home by Chinese expats and migrants living abroad.
“The partnership is a major expansion for TransferWise as it reaches a new, additional market of people managing their money via the Alipay platform,” says the company.
With that said, Alipay is the second meaningful partnership that TransferWise has announced in the last few months. In November, it joined forces with GoCardless, the London fintech that lets customers pay via recurring bank payments (known as Direct Debits in the U.K.). GoCardless is used by more than 50,000 businesses worldwide, spanning multinational corporations to SMBs, and the partnership sees its own FX functionality powered by TransferWise.

TransferWise partners with Alipay for international money transfers